Review: 'Community' - 'Critical Film Studies': My dinner with Abed

A review of tonight's "Community" coming up just as soon as I stop saying "Cougar Town"...

"Chad had lived, Jeff. Chad had lived more than Abed." -Abed

I follow a number of "Community" actors and writers on Twitter, and throughout Thursday afternoon, I kept seeing messages from each of them that made two things very clear: 1)Everyone who works on the show is terribly proud of this episode, and 2)Everyone was terribly afraid that people wouldn't get it.

And I can see why they would be feeling both pride and fear. What was billed by some as a "Pulp Fiction" episode instead turned out to be an elaborate stealth homage to the far more obscure(*) "My Dinner with Andre." It was yet another one of this season's dark, laugh-light, experimental episodes that completely switched up the series' verbal and visual rhythms, and that let Danny Pudi spend a large chunk of the episode esentially playing a character other than Abed. And then just as the episode seemed like it was really committing to the darkness and to fundamentally altering Abed's character and worldview, it undercut every emotion we'd been given so far, revealing it all to be an elaborate fantasy on Abed's part that played like a selfish practical joke to Jeff. And then it undercut that idea by having Abed and Jeff have an actual honest conversation, instead of Abed's approximation of one earlier, in which the artifice of the "My Dinner with Andre" bit was presented as the closest Abed can usually come to authenticity, given the way he chooses to live in the world.

(*) If you're like me (and you're probably not) and were obsessed with Siskel & Ebert in the 1980s, then "Andre" isn't particularly obscure at all, as it felt like those guys discussed their love of that movie every other episode for about four years straight. The strange thing is, even though I respected the hell out of those two and wound up choosing this profession in large part because of them, I have somehow still never seen "My Dinner with Andre." But I'd seen enough clips on "At the Movies" to recognize, for instance, that Abed was wearing a similar sweater to the one Andre Gregory had.

Doing an episode with that many layers, and with such a small number of overt jokes, that tries to have its cake and eat it too with the emotional life of a character who can only sort of be said to have an emotional life? That takes onions, boys and girls. That takes some major-league huevos, and I applaud Pudi, Joel McHale, writer Sona Panos, special guest director Richard Ayode (from "The IT Crowd") and everyone else involved for both trying it and pulling it off.

At the same time, I get exactly why all those afternoon tweets seemed so nervous. There are many people who, understandably, go into their favorite comedies with the primary goal of laughing, and this is at least the third episode of the season (after Troy's birthday and the stop-motion Christmas episode) that wasn't in any particular hurry to help its viewers achieve that goal. Sure, I cackled at Pierce in the Gimp suit, chuckled at Troy calling wine "no-no juice" and thought (as I have ever since the episode's photos started making the rounds) that Yvette Nicole Brown made a shockingly great Samuel L. Jackson. And Jeff's Halloween story was at least one-third comedy to two-thirds tragedy. Mostly, though, this was another episode that was willing to sacrifice yuks for the sake of both the homage and the character story, and I can see a point - if we're not already there - where some people just lose their patience with this show's experimental vibe and declare that they'd rather sacrifice the references for the sake of an episode that's just crazy-funny.

And beyond that, I was myself kind of troubled during that portion in between the waiter spilling the beans to Jeff - I knew the show was doing a "My Dinner with Andre" bit, but hadn't decided for sure that Abed himself was deliberately doing it - and Jeff and Abed's conversation at the diner. I loved the Troy's birthday episode because it was taking everyone's emotions seriously, and particularly because it gave so much growth to Troy. But Abed, as he notes to Jeff here, is a character who, by design, can't grow, and whose emotions will always be either muddled or buried deep under layer after layer of pop culture ephemera. So it seemed both a cheat at first that the show seemed to be giving him some major growth, only to do a complete about-face. And it seemed an odd decision to build such a sedate, jokeless episode around a character whose emotions were so remote, particularly since we had already gotten an episode like that at Christmas-time. (And there I felt they pulled it off because of the animation; though at the time I requested an alternate live-action version of things, I don't know that it's a satisfying character story for Abed that way.)

But that final Jeff/Abed scene turned me around, I think. First, it was a nice echo of their conversation at the end of the chicken fingers episode without simply feeling like a rehash. Second, there was some genuine vulnerability from Abed there, as opposed to the practiced (and kinda mesmerizing) Abed-as-Chad-as-Abed monologue about being a background extra on "Cougar Town"(**). Abed's emotions are buried, but he has them, just like Data and Spock and so many other characters he listed did. He can access them, but it's complicated, and can take an extraordinary effort on the part of both his friends and the creative team that controls his adventures, and I think both groups reached the gooey center of Abed this week.

(**) "Cougar Town" has, like "Community," already wrapped production for this season, and I don't believe the "Cougar Town" writers were aware of this episode in advance. But I think the only way for this whole mutual admiration society to be complete would be for them to actually sneak Pudi into the background of a scene with Courteney Cox early next season.

What did everybody else think? Were you pleased with the finished product, or would you have preferred a simpler half hour with more Gimp jokes?

Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

Criterion Kid! Yay! So glad you're back. I'd been waiting for an appearance so I could tell you that Berlin Alexanderplatz is under SERIOUS contention to be one of this summer's TV on DVD rewind projects.

I guess I just had too hard a time to get past the violence towards women to appreciate Berlin Alexanderplatz. Thanks for the tip about My Dinner with Andre, Criterion Kid. I'll have to check it out on Hulu.

Was going to write the exact same thing as the original poster. I've watched this episode multiple times already because I like the feel, the look, the music, use of voiceover. It is a pleasure to watch.

I thought it was a masterful exercise in pushing the limits of what Community is allowing itself to do. Unlike some, I loved the episode about Troy's birthday, but couldn't really get into the Christmas one. I thought this topped them both in almost every way. I especially loved Abed's "Chad" monologue, and it was a phenomenal showcase for Danny Pudi. I'm also a huge Tarantino/Pulp Fiction fan, so I loved all of those references.

A few other notes:

- Troy's reaction to the bill was priceless and on par with anything he did with LeVar Burton in the hospital episode.

- Alan, I kept thinking of your appearance in the background of the oil-spill scene when Abed was talking about being on "Cougar Town"

- I loved all the Pulp Fiction stuff - the music, Jeff and Britta dancing, Troy and Annie holding up the restaurant, and especially the briefcase jokes - it was all fantastic.

Great Television. This show may be the best show on TV period. Abed's monologue was mesmerizing and I fell for it Hook, Line and Sinker. I found myself wondering now that they brought him to that place how would they reel him back? It was a really rich and well done performance by both of them.

On a more superficial level, when they first mentioned Cougar Town in the opening i did a double take. To think it would come up again and again in such an important way was brilliant and funny. And yes, they must put Pudi in an episode now.

As an Aside, I feel dumb because I could not figure out who Annie was supposed to be until the end montage. Of course she was Honey Bunny.

Given that Britta was Mia Wallace, that there are essentially only 3 women in Pulp Fiction (4 if you want to count Butch's barefoot cab driver), and that Annie didn't look at all like Butch's irritating girlfriend, I figured she was Honey Bunny. But she definitely didn't look like my memories of Amanda Plummer as Honey Bunny. Will have to pop in my DVD at some point soon.

She looked like an Annie version of Honey Bunny. Annie had similar hair and clothes, but seemed much more clean, put together and sweet looking. I thought it was great, because I'm sure they could have made her look much closer to Honey Bunny if they'd wanted, but instead they did it as if Annie had put together the costume herself.

I didn't get that Annie was Honey Bunny until they had that focused two-shot of her and Troy in the booth. None of the character/Pulp Fiction parts were wrong per se, but the best were definitely Shirley as Jules, Troy as Pumpkin (further proof that Donald Glover is about as capable of not nailing a part as Nick Offerman is), Jeff as Vincent, and of course Britta as Mia Wallace. Annie as HB and Chang as Butch were all right, no better. Oh, and Pierce made an excellent Gimp; having him playing a role known for participation in bizarre, disgusting torture seemed very apt.

Call me crazy but did anyone else think the choice of naming Abed's alter-ego Chad was a reference to the viral video Bro-Rape, which Donald Glover was in? Or maybe I'm just making unnecessary Donald Glover references...

My Dinner with Andre homage worked well, but fans of Frasier will remember it working best during "My Coffee with Niles". Random tangent, but I did love this episode.

I hate Pulp Fiction, but I appreciate the Tarantino (of whom I am a fan) homage. Especially the long, pointed, and literary dialogue which can also be attributed to the Dinner with Andre tribute, either way it was fun.

Danny Pudi sure has a nice selection of Emmy submission episodes this year. And I actually think he could surprise people with a nomination. Community has lots of acclaim buzz (similar to the kind that drew in so many nominations for Arrested Development in season 2, though I don't think we'll ever seriously be comparing those shows). Also I don't see anyone from The Office cracking the field this year, I think Cryer is out because of Two and a Half Men controversy, Jeremy Piven is done, and I think Modern Family will be regulated to one actor.

I have no problems with violence in films. The great and revolutionary thing about Reservoir Dogs and the films following Pulp Fiction was a) The violence it showed, b) the way it justified it and c) It's non linear story structure.

Pulp Fiction is an example, not of Tarantino mastering this style (in my opinion), I think it's an example of him thinking too much of his own critical acclaim and taking it too far. The violence and explicitness is senseless and without any form of justification. The story is jumbled for the sake of being jumbled as the narrative threads are hardly something to care about. The dialogue is freaking excellent.

What? You can never take that away from Tarantino.

Believe me, I am fully aware of my odd opinions on Pulp Fiction. Most people think I'm an idiot for disliking it, but that's why it's an opinion.

It sounded like the version of "Mad World" that's been featured in a lot of stuff, most memorably Donnie Darko. I was actually wondering whether Jeff's narration was supposed to be a nod to that, but it sort of came out of nowhere.

I know I may be a minority here, but I'm the type that doesn't need to be falling over laughing with every episode of a show simply because it's a comedy. When I find a show I like with characters I like, I can still find enjoyment even when not laughing. I felt that way with Sports Night back in the day and feel that way with Mow I Met Your Mother now.

Even though (obviously) not the show's funniest episode ever, it was really well done. And I was amazed at how talented an actor Danny Pudi is when he was delivering his "My Dinner with Andre" speech. I remember feeling that way in Season 1 when he did a spot-on Don Draper. I love Pudi as Abed, but scenes like that give me hope that after Community ends (hopefully many, many years from now) Pudi will be given other chances and possibly even in dramatic roles.

I would love to roll on the floor with laughter a little more this season, but at 8 pm on Thursdays, I'm just happy to spend 30 minutes with this cast and show.

This is exactly how I feel. I don't need to see 15 straight Modern Warfare episodes. One was amazing and memorable enough. What I really love about this , is how it was billed as a "pulp fiction" episode and instead revolved around a fairly obscure movie. That takes guts and is a credit to the show.

I also had flashbacks of the 'Sleepers' ending when they had a private party at the end of Community tonight as well. Anyone else feel that? All we needed was a frankie valli song!

I may be way off base, but the first two-thirds of Abed's speech about being on the set of CougarTown seemed like a pretty direct reference to your set visit to Community during the summer press tour where you suddenly, and without much reflection, found yourself an extra in a scene only to be confronted with a public existential crisis over your objectivity as a critic having been in that position with the show.

Have you watched "My Dinner With Andre?" I watched the first 10 minutes after seeing this ep (and will finish the movie) and one of the monologues EARLY in the film is about acting, acting technique, and what it means to act in a role vs. being one's self.

I thought the same. If it had been any other show doing a bit about a fan of the show having a sudden cameo on the show, I wouldn't have given it a second thought, but Community was the show Alan cameo'd on, after all.

Exactly what I thought, especially concidering Dan Harmon's penchant for insinuating tales of public friends and enemies into the show, as with "streets ahead" late last season. And from that perspective, I just thought it was really funny.

I don't care if I didn't "get it." Aside from a few amusing references to Cougar Town, this was just an awful, unfunny episode from start to finish that just rehashed old "Abed-can't-connect-with-people" stories.

Honestly, I think this is the final straw. Community is so smug, self-absorbed, and inaccessible now that it's no longer worth watching.

This particular episode didn't bother me too much, but I totally get your criticisms Merve. It does tend to be smug, self-absorbed and often inaccessible. I haven't given up on it yet, but some weeks it is painfully unfunny.

I don't think it's so much smug and self-absorbed as it is self-referential, painfully self-conscious and now really reaching for different ways to keep telling the same stories/flogging the same jokes over and over. ::shrug:: The story was another iteration of what we've all come to expect: the movie parodies, the lessons learned, the feelings felt. It was as unsubtle as the Claymation episode. However, we're clear now: Jeff has mommy and daddy issues, Abed (much like his litany of robots and other outsiders) will never really be able to connect with anyone in a meaningful way (other than everyone "loving" him like a pet or mascot), the Dean is a cross-dressing/furry freak, Troy has the self-control of an infant, Chang is completely insane, etc. Is it possible to move on?

My involvement with this series is rather like the definition of insanity - I keep watching and expecting a different outcome every episode despite all evidence to the contrary. This season only three episodes have given me hope that the series will find its former voice and approximate the greatness of "Introduction to Statistics" or "Contemporary American Poultry" (the apex of the Abed-as-outsider episodes) or "Modern Warfare" (which I fear might be sullied by the upcoming "sequel"). It might, but I'm kind of losing hope.

Funnily enough, I read it as a "Jeff-refuses-to-connect-with-people" plotline, paired with a "Abed-uses-his-popculture-lens" to try and bridge the divide. I may be giving them too much credit in subverting their own formula, but I doubt it.

Also, smugness can be excused when you're just that good. And I'm not sure what sitcom isn't self-absorbed.

I feel that the show's plot has become stagnant so each episode can focus on parodying a particular movie/tv cliche (confessional, claymation, etc.) It seems like this season is geared towards people like Abed.

During Chad's monalogue I actually cried a little and even though we find out that it was all a fantasy by abid (the whole dinner) I do not feel cheated by the experience at all. They say there is always a kernal of truth in every lie and I really do believe that Abed chose to do that very movie so that he could open up a little.....Jeff was heartbreaking....everyone of his lines about lieing 6 inches from the mirror, he was glad people just called him pretty, the phone sex. This was all vulnerablity that you can only get if one character truely believes that the other is opening up in a profound way. I cannot tell you how mesmirised I was by abed's chad monologue, brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!

Abed's dialogue as Chad reminded me of Chuck's (Zac Levi) speech to sarah in season 2 (chuck versus the breakup), it is a monologue so mesmerizing and beautiful that it takes you out of your comfort zone and opens your heart up to be broken and hurt as an audience member. It is a sign that a show is on a creative stratosphere, that they are willing to put everything on the line all so that the character can develop and you as an audience member can sympathise with their plight. Are these moments, both Chuck's and Abed's completely a lie? for Chuck no, because he was trying to prevent Sarah from dieing by having emotions that could get her killed and this serving a more important purpose instead of self gratification. With Abed he may have set up a fantasy, but that does not mean it was a complete lie, he wanted to be close to jeff and let jeff open up, if he was playing jeff the whole time he could have stopped just like he stopped himself from kissing annie, abed knows there is a line but he let jeff get something off his chest and maybe that is the point that within the lies we tell ourselves there is room for personal growth.....I love it!

chuckled at Troy calling wine "no-no juice" --- That was wine? I thought it was Noni juice and Troy being Troy got the name wrong.

Community probably fails to make me laugh more often than not... but sometimes I enjoy the creativity enough to make up for that. This one didn't make me laugh either, but I did find it interesting... so I'll give it a thumbs up for that. I liked the DWA stylization of it and the twists.

I don't think Community is the best show on television though. I watch several that I think are consistently better.

It's strange because Jehovah's Witnesses can, in fact, drink. I know they've used this joke a few times. Tho they also have Troy celebrating birthdays and Christmas, so he's not particularly concerned with what he "believes". Great episode, anyways!

Other than Abed's monologue about Cougar Town, this episode didn't work for me. I'll watch it again and see if I change my mind. All of the cutaways to the diner felt like they came from another episode entirely. I think I would have preferred a more daring experiment, in which Jeff and Abed are the only characters in the episode until the very end.

That said, Abed's speech was wonderful, and Pudi knocked my socks off. I also sort of got to find out where Brita gets her money, but that felt like the basis for a whole other episode, not a throwaway moment.

I felt like the different tones of the two restaurants was intentional. I know the first time I ever saw Pulp Fiction, I thought I was flicking between three movies every scene change. Maybe they were aiming for the same feeling? (Although, that may just have been my weird reaction to that film).Also, relaxed, "relatable" Abed was kinda scary. So relieved it was just another hommage of his lol.

That's an interesting thought, that they were purposefully mixing up the genres in homage to PF. If that is the case, I admire the ambition, but still didn't really enjoy the end result. I felt the diner scenes were kind of boring and not very funny, and were taking me away from the meat of the story.

Not to be a backseat writer, but I would have preferred the sense that crazy PF-style stuff was happening in the background, but with the episode focusing solely on Jeff and Abed. Jeff could be getting text messages or something from the gang about their adventures, and then they show up at the end in costume. But cutting to them really didn't work for me.

Alan, I've never posted a comment here but thought I should after listening to Abed's Cougar Town monologue.With your cheerleading for both Cougar Town and Community, and knowing your own walk-on part on Community, I thought Abed's experience grew more meta if it was also a reference to you. Which leaves me with a few questions:1. What was the name of your character on Community?2. Did you give him a backstory?And 3. When the director yelled "Cut!" did you fall to your knees and poop your pants?

Great episode - one of my favorites this season. Keep up the great work Alan!

I realized tonight I've never fallen head-over-nerd-heels in love with ANY pop culture like I have with Community. The only thing I've felt a similar adoration for was Twin Peaks, and that was 20+ years ago. Tonight's episode was absolute bliss.

Not particularly funny (although Donald Glover drying is a guaranteed laugh for me) but I thought this was a smart episode that managed to confound audience expectations while at the same time playing to them.

You expect a rapid-fire Pulp Fiction homage episode full of obvious gags and instead you get a homage episode focusing on another movie that you didn't expect.

Cougar Town overload was funny too. Probably funnier if you know the relationship between the two showrunners. Otherwise it just seemed like a very odd focus of Abed's infatuation.

So even if Community isn't a laugh riot every week the fact it will try to do an episode like this is worth more to me. I'd rather watch an experiment go bravely down in flames than the same thing every other show on television does.

A very strange episode of TV. It was fantastically constructed, had great character moments for both Jeff and Abed, and both homages worked very well (masterful misdirection with the "Pulp Fiction" homage). Yet even in the context of "Community," something was slightly artificial about it - the homage was so carefully constructed you could see the staging in places. It still had plenty of good - lots of good in fact - but it's still one that needs a couple of rewatches to get.

On other characters, it's nice to see that Pierce is being less of an ogre and more of an "Oh, Pierce" sort of character again, and I loved the moment where the owner draws out Britta's inability to earn tips for a full minute and Shirley and Annie comment "Everyone hates Britta!" I'm starting to find that more interesting than the Pierce problem - they've got as many reasons to exclude her as they do him. I wonder if that's a point they'll touch on in the next few episodes - and I don't just say that because I love Britta stories.

I appreciate the efforts in doing a dedicated and complete homage in the episode but the harder thing to do would be to make the episode a comedy at the same time. Troy's birthday episode succeeded in balancing that ratio but this one didn't.